Top adjustable banjo tailpiece



April 26, 1927. 6,094"

R. R. PAGE TOP ADJUSTABLE B ANJO TAILPIECE Filed May 4. 1923 W 1 van/Z01Patented Apr. 26, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT R. PAGE, OF NEW YORK, N. '2'.

TOP ADJUSTABLE BANJO TAILPIECE.

1;..- Application filed May 4,

The present invention relates to an improvement in tail pieces forbanjos and has for its object amongst others the accomplishment ofgreater economy in construction, 5 lighter weight and above all greaterease of adjustment for increasing or decreasing the total pitch of thebanjo at will.

Another very important object is the simplicity of the means whereby theaggregate tensioning of all of the strings on the musical instrumentsimultaneously is accomplished in a better manner than has heretoforebeen done.

The most important advantage of my construction however, relates to themodifica tion of the tail piece structure whereby upon release of thestring tensioning means, which also acts as a cover for the tail piece,is the manner in which the spring tensioned cover raises itself touncovering position, thereby exposing the tail piece portion, which isso constructed as to enable the player to readily remove or replacestrings upon the string posts thereof with the greatest of ease.

I attain these objects and such other objects as may appear during thesubjoined description by way of example, of one of the possibleembodiments of the invention shown in the accompanying drawing formingpart of this specification in which Figure 1, is a fragmentary top orplan view of the head of a musical instrument and a top or plan view ofthe tail piece operatively attached to the head.

Figure 2, is a fragmentary side view of the head of a musical instrumentand a side view of the tail piece operatively attached thereto, the tailpiece being in partially open or uncovering position whereby thepressure of the tensioning portion thereof is re lieved from the stringsof the instrument.

Figure 3, is a View similar to Fig. 2, except that the tail piece isshown in closed or covering position, the tensioning portion '15 thereofexerting pressure on the strings of the instrument for tensioning thestrings.

Figure 4;, is a side elevation of the tail piece, in artially open oruncovering position, and ust prior to movement of the cover portion tocompletely open position.

Figure 5, is a top or plan view of the tail piece in the partially openor uncovering position shown in Fig. 4, and

Figure 6, is a top or plan view of the tail piece, the cover portionhaving been moved to completely open posit-inn,

1923. Serial No. 636,600.

Similar reference characters denote similar parts throughout the severalviews.

The tail piece comprises in its main parts the base generally denoted by10, and the tensioning cover generally denoted by 11, and is made of anysuitable metal or material.

The base 10 comprises the rectangular mid portion 12 having the sideportions 13 and 14 provided withthe extended apertured ends 15 and 16.The mid portion 12 has on its inner edge the rigidly upstandingrearwardly turned hook 17, and has suitably located on its upper surfacethe string pins 18.

The mid portion 12 has on its outer edge the angular bracket 19, havingthe outwardly bent reduced end 20, the bracket 19 as shown being part ofthe mid portion 12 between the extended ends 15 and 16 bent downwardlyat a right angle to the plane of the mid portion. The end'20 has anaperture therein which receives the screw threaded bolt 21 retained inthis aperture by engagement of the head of the bolt with the end 20, thefree end of the bolt passing through the lug 22 on the shell or side ofthe musical instrument and held by the upper stop nut 23 and the locknut 24, whereby the tail piece is retained in operative position on theinstrument.

The cover 11 comprises the covering portion 25 and the tensioning end26, the tensioning end 26 being that portion of the cover extendinginwardly from the covering portion 25 from about the line of the inneredge of the base 10 when the cover is in closed or covering position,the term inwardly here and elsewhere herein meaning towards the musicalinstrument when the tail piece is in operative closed position thereon.a

The covering portion '25 has therethrough the rectangular slot 27 withwhich the hook 17 engages or passes through. The covering portion 25 hasat its sides adjacent to its outer edge the apertured cars 28 and 29,overlapping the extended ends 15 and 16 of the base member, the apertureof the ear 28 as shown being threaded for receiving the threaded end ofthe bolt or shaft 30, the bolt or shaft 30 passing through the ears 28and 29 and extended ends 15 and 16, and the cover 11 bein ivotablymovable thereon. The bolt or slia't 30 has arranged thereon the helix.and 31, one end 32 of which bears against .hc upper suirface of the midportion of the base 10 and the other end 33 of which bears against theunder surface of the covering portion 25, the tendency of this springbeing to throw or move the cover 11 from closed to open position. Thecovering portion 25 has thereon the cam member Set which consists of asubstantially semi-circular wall portion having a cam face 36, and amanipulating arm 37, the cam member being secured for pivotal movementby the rivet pin 38 to the covering portion 25 of tl e cover 11, andbeing restricted in this movement in either direction by contact of thearm 37 with the stop lug 39 on the upper surface of the covering portion25.

The tensioning portion 26 for a portion of its length is in the sameplaneasthe covering portion 25, and is thenbent downwardly as at e0,Fig. i, and then curved'upwardly, as at 41, at its inneredge ,for thepurpose later stated. The combined lfihgth of the covering portion 25and tensioning portion 26 is such as to bring the curved end 41substantially midway of the distance on the strings of the instrumentfrom the bridge is to the string posts 18 of the tail piece, when thetail piece is in operative position on the instrument.

lVhen the tail piece is in operative position on the instrument, thestrain of the strings on the string posts causes the curved end 41 tobear down upon the strings transversely thereof with a tensioning effectupon the strings for changing the pitch; and it will be noted that thearrangement of the string pins 18 on the base portion 10 is such thatthe strings when secured thereto are in the same equally spacedparallelism that they are at the bridge 42 of the instrument, therebyproviding a straight line tension or pull on the strings from the stringpegs, not shown, to the string pins 18, and that the cover 11 at its ende1 is of suilicient width to engage transversely and exert pressure onall the strings while they arein this equally spaced parallel relation.the cover 11, when in this position covering the string pins 18 andrendering them inaccessible for securing the strings thereto, until thecover is released from covering position and is moved by the spring 31to uncovering position.

Z a operation r-The tail piece being attached to the instrument asdescribed, the cover being in open or uncovering position, the stringsare secured to the string posts and properly tuned; the cover 11 ismovedinto covering position, the end of the hook 17 of the base 10 passingthrough the slot 27 of the cover, the relative positions of cover andbase being as shown in Fig. 5; by turning the manipulating arm of thecover the cam member 35 is caused to pass under the end of the hook 17and by continuing to turn the manipulating arm 37 towards a position atright angles to its former position the hook 17 rides up on the cam faceof the ca nmember 35 and holds the cover firmly down in closed orcovering position, Fig. 1, the strain of the strings on the string posts18 conducing to this, and the end 451 of the cover bearing downtransversely on the strings and tensioning them.

In the event ofhreaking a string, the ma nipulating arm 37 is moved tothe position shown in Fig. I and the cover llallowcd to move or fly uptoopen position, thus ex posing the ends of the str ngs on the str ngposts. and the new str ng can be attached and the cover returnedito itsformer tensioning position without disturbing the other strings, thepitch ,of the strings being the same as it was before movement ot thecover.

, Having thus-described my invention, it should be understood that theremay bemodifications thereof and variations therein without departingfrom the spirit of theinvention or exceeding the scopeof the appendedclaims.

lVhat I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In atail piece for musical instruments having strings, incombination, a base pormovement of the covering member to uncoveringposition.

2 Ina tail piece for musical instruments having strings, in combination,a base portion secured to the instrument, a covering member yieldablysupported in uncovering position and movable from uncovering position tocovering position and when in covering positionextending over said baseporlion and having an end portion adapted for engaginglhe strings of theinstrument for tensioning the strings, and rotatably movable means onthe covering member engageable with means on said base portion forretaining the covering member in covering position and disengageablefrom said means on the base portion forv permitting movementof thecovering member to uncovering position.

3. In a tail piece for musical instruments having strings, incombination, a base portion secured to the instrument, a covering memberpivotally secured at an endthereof to an end of the base portion and,spring maintained in uncovering position and movable to coveringposition and when so moved llltl extending over the base portion andengaging the strings of the instrument for tensioning the strings, andmeans including rotatably movable means cooperating between the coveringmember and base portion for retaining the covering member in coveringposition and releasable for permitting spring actuated movement of thecovering member to uncovering position.

4;. In a tail piece for musical instruments having strings, incombination, a base member secured to the musical instrument and havinga portion thereof extending over the face 01 the instrument providedwith an upstanding hook, and a covering member secured to said extendingportion and movable from uncovering position to covering position andwhen in covering position disposed over said extending portion, saidcovering member being spring maintained in uncovering position andhaving an opening therethrough and a rotatable cam member adjacent tosaid opening and having an end portion for transversely engaging thestrings of the instrument when the covering member is in coveringposition, said hook when the covering member is moved to coveringposition passing through said opening and being engageable With said cammember by rotation of the cam member in one direction for retaining thecoverin member in covering position and being disengageable from the cammember by rotation of the cam member in reverse direction for permittingspring actuated movement of the covering member to uncovering position.a

5. In a tail piece for musical instruments having strings and a bridgeadapted for supporting the strings in spaced parallelism thereon, incombination, a base portion secured to the instrument and including aplate extending inwardly over the face of the instrument and having onthe upper face of said plate means for attaching said strings thereto inthe same spaced parallelism as the parallelism oi' sald strings onsaid'bridge, a

covering member spring maintained in uncovering position and movablefrom uncovering position to covering position and when so movedextending over said plate and covering said string attaching means andhaving an end portion adapted for engaging the equally spaced parallelstrings for tensioning the strings, and means on the covering memberengageable with means on said plate for retaining the covering member incovering position and disengageable from the means on said plate forpermitting spring'actuated movement of the covering member to uncoveringposition.

6. In a tail piece for musical instruments havin strin s and a brid 'eada )ted for a s a l supporting the strings in spaced parallelismthereon, in combination, a bracket secured on the exterior side of therim of the instrument and having a plate arranged substantially at rightangles to the bracket and extending in- \vardly over the face of theinstrument, said plate having on the upper face pins for at taching saidstrings thereto in the same spaced parallelism as the parallelism ofsaid strings on said bridge and having a hook ROBERT R. PAGE.

